Got a minute? Get Something Done!

Today was a real hectic day.  There were many interruptions with very little extended time to work on major projects.  On days like this, the only thing I had to work with was five minutes here and fifteen minutes there between the fires that had to be put out.  One skill that one must learn is to work in small and random windows of opportunity that occur throughout the day.  By knowing what you can accomplish in small blocks of time, you can be ready to exploit those windows of time when they appear and make a day that is full of crises productive.

What I can do in thirty minutes

• Do a filing session and empty my "To File" folder
• Mind map an upcoming project
• Complete my @Calls list
• Read a professional journal, marking articles for deeper review
• Clean the inside of my car

What I can do in 15 minutes

• Return voicemails
• Chunk my inbox
• Prepare a meeting agenda
• Review notes from a meeting and process Next Actions into my system
• Write some thank you notes
• Process my email inbox

What I can do in five minutes

• Prepare materials to work on a project
• Review my @Context lists to choose a Next Action
• Schedule an appointment
• Transfer some Next Actions from my digital recorder to my system
• Review my email inbox or blackberry for emergencies to handle
• Answer an email on my blackberry

What can you do in five, fifteen, and thirty minutes?

Comments

[GBGames]

I went to the midnight showing of Star Wars last night. Since I was in line for a few hours, I asked my girlfriend for a pad of paper and a pen. She was talking to a friend, so I was able to doodle for a bit. When we were in the theater, waiting for the movie to start for another hour or so, I continued to doodle.

I was pleased with what I was able to create. I think doodling helps with creativity. I made fantastic creatures, interesting items, boring items, etc. I may use some of the characters I drew in a future game.

If I had my bookbag with me, I probably would have taken the time to read one of my books.

[Bert]

I also do art, and the work I've done while on hold, in waiting rooms, in lines, and on planes actually came out quite good; good enough for some framing and display. :)

Phone work is something that I also do a lot of while waiting.

[Charles Martin]

As a web developer, my list will tend to have more variety, but also still fit within the openings as follows:

5min: Check my weblogs list for any updates such as this one. ;)

15min: Review some of the online developers journals.

30min: Run through some old code and clean it up.